Chao Cheese Slices

This review should start with a disclaimer: I am not a cheese freak. I also haven’t tasted dairy cheese in 2.5 years.

I know it’s hard to believe, but I was never one of those “OMG WITHOUT CHEESE, LIFE IS NOT WORTH LIVING” types. Almost everyone I know, though, is.

Don’t get me wrong, I always did like cheese, but I could imagine a world where we wouldn’t just stop breathing and fall over dead if there was no cheese. Can you tell, I’ve noticed a lot of people really like cheese?

Ok, enough babbling. My wife and I have been through two packs of Chao Slices of each flavor now. Let me see if I can sum up my impressions for a quick review:

The Creamy Original reminds me of a very mild white American or provolone, or something in between. I tried it first in one of my favorite applications of American cheese back in my pre-vegan days, as a toasted cheese sandwich with Just Mayo. This was actually a two-part test, as it was also my first time testing the Mayo. I’ll save that one for another day, but short version, it’s good too.

Paired with its old friend, a bowl of tomato soup, this sandwich was pretty mind blowing. I have a feeling it would even fool my dad, who is probably the greatest consumer of the toasted-cheese and mayonnaise sandwich that ever existed on this planet.

The Coconut Herb is hard to describe, it’s also very mild but with a nice black pepper taste that comes in slowly. Of the three, this was probably my favorite for just kind of snacking on with some crackers and olives.

Tomato Cayenne doesn’t have a ton of cayenne, but the flavor is great. It doesn’t really remind me of any traditional cheese in particular, but has a vaguely mild cheddar/yellow american with a touch of tasty chili. This one is REALLY good melted on tortilla chips.

Speaking of melting, I have tried several of the “vegan cheeses” that are easily available over the last couple of years. Some melt in really strange ways compared to dairy cheese. These Chao slices melt very well, really close to what you would expect from a dairy cheese.

Some other applications that were very successful for these cheeses: Creamy Original layered onto baked spaghetti, Coconut Herb on a bagel with a Boca patty and some Veganaise, Tomato Cayenne grated onto Boca Crumble Tacos. All winners.

I really don’t have anything bad to say about these. I guess my only criticism that I could possibly pull out would be that the flavors are all very mild. I wouldn’t mind a stinky, strong version.Seriously, seek these out and try them. Also, for you folks that love cheese but also are into nutrition, this isn’t bad.